While there is "ambitious optimism" for the '99 Women's
World Cup (WWC), the tournament "is not without risk,"
according to Jere Longman of the N.Y. TIMES, who writes that
the "success of the World Cup is largely tied to the success
of the American women." But "fortunately" for organizers,
the U.S. team is favored to win, but the "disparity between
the best teams and the rest could result in some less-than-
entertaining mismatches." But should the U.S. "women not
reach the final," the WWC is "not very likely to transcend
the base of suburban interest ... to which the event is
being primarily marketed." WWC President Marla Messing:
"Capturing the imagination of the American public is
something we'd like to do. Millions are not aware of the
Women's World Cup. To reach out is important." The WWC
Organizing Committee's overall budget of $28-$30M is "about
one-tenth of the budget" for the men's World Cup and its
corporate sponsorship is at $6M, compared to the men's $40M-
plus. But ticket sales for the WWC have reached 388,000,
more than three times the 112,000 sold for the '95 WWC in
Sweden. U.S. co-captain Julie Foudy: "People said when we
started this World Cup, 'You can't do it on a big stage, you
can't do it in big stadiums, you won't draw.' Tell us what
we can't do and we'll do it" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/20).
